


Alone

by superfast_pinetree



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, Heavily implied Nesscas, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Wow, fox gives good advice, lucas has memory issues about new pork, ness figures out hes gay!!!, woopsie daisy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 18:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18057626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superfast_pinetree/pseuds/superfast_pinetree
Summary: Ness felt empty.





	Alone

Being alone was something Ness never thought would hurt him. It never came across his mind, really. Spending most of your childhood around ones you loved, going on an adventure with three other children who would eventually become your three best friends. Ness had spent his entire life around others, around people he loved to be around. It was never an occurrence to him that being alone could be bad, let alone harm him.

 

But, he felt… terrible.

 

Being invited to a tournament with the multiverse’s most recognizable and well known people was one thing. But being away from people he’d known all his life? Having to say goodbye to his mother, sister, and friends was heartbreaking, but he always stuck his head up and left them with a hug and a cheery farewell. He hadn’t felt alone, or truly 

that first tournament. Because Ness was around people who were just as confused and bewildered as him.

 

But then Melee happened. Of course, rumors were that another person from Ness’s own universe would be showing up (he was in ‘development’, apparently.) Ness couldn’t help but be truly excited at the prospect. Sure, he had made friends with the other eleven people during that first tournament. But this was finally a time where he could truly connect with another person like him! He was waiting with bated breath, and when he was finally given that formal invitation, he was out the house with a burning PK Teleport.

 

Upon the realization that no invitation to this mysterious person was given, he was in shambles. He barely talked to anyone during the Melee phase of the tournament, never gave any effort into his fighting. He barely did anything except wander the mansion halls aimlessly, feeling a newfound emptiness in his heart he never thought he’d think of. Loneliness. True loneliness. A loneliness that tore at his body and left him nothing but a husk of his optimistic self. Even with multiple new people in the roster, as well as his old friends, Ness felt as if he was the only one there. He didn’t feel connected to them. He felt 

Ness left Melee without so much as a goodbye. At least, to most of the fighters. He bid Mario a short, melancholy goodbye when the other questioned him, and gave Kirby a slight hug, but nothing besides that. All he wanted to do was go back to Onett, and not feel… nothing anymore. He wanted to fill his heart with something, something at all. Something other than lingering loneliness.

 

So when he got the invitation to Brawl, he was debating not even going. 

 

In truth, Ness was scared. He was scared that he wasn’t going to feel anything but sadness yet again. He was scared to confront the loneliness that once tore at his insides and ripped him apart. He was scared that he wouldn’t feel himself at that musty old mansion. All Ness wanted to do was to hang out with his friends and be distracted by good emotions. Not bad.

 

But Paula’s harsh words and his mother’s encouragement made Ness push over the edge and finally accept the invitation. What was there to lose, right? He would greet the newcomers, help them go about the mansion and all that, then be on his own in the place. In his own words, it didn’t sound all that good. But according to his friends, it was an okay decision to go. “You have to make friends more than us, Ness!” Words from Paula.

 

Ness, giving in to the other’s words, finally left Onett to join the fray once more.

 

When the boy finally arrived, he was greeted to the usual veteran entrance of the place. That is- the back of the mansion. Sure, it was spectacular in appearance- lush grass, massive sprawling gardens, fountains, trees holding treehouses. But it still wasn’t the best considering it’s name. But whatever, Ness wasn’t as posh and complaint oriented like some people in this place. Besides, the reasons behind it were good enough. The front was only reserved for newcomers when they all first arrived, so they weren’t nervous when all these veterans would show up and crush their entrances. 

 

The second he entered, he could tell the other veterans were eyeing him down. Ness knew it was all out of care, and that they were concerned of his mental state, but he still felt awfully strange when he saw the usually serious Link stare at him with obvious worry. Ness tried his best to brush it off, and entered the mansion with a slight huff.

 

The first few hour passed, waiting for everyone to enter the main hall for the newcomer’s opening party, and already he felt extremely alone. Already he felt a tiny hole appear in his heart, and he sighed, only knowing it would grow larger and larger as the days and eventual months passed. He already wanted to go home. He did 

like this.

 

He was sitting near the back of the party, looking down at his fingers as psychics danced around them. He wasn’t even paying attention to who finally showed up to the tournament. Deep down in his heart, Ness knew that he wouldn’t really care about any of them. Being so deep in his thoughts, he wasn’t aware of the form of an approaching Fox, not until he felt a gloved hand was placed upon his shoulder.

 

“Not feeling it here too, huh?” Fox’s voice was something Ness was grateful for, it was something that pulled him from his saddened thoughts. The boy looked up from his hand, shrugging lightly, not bothering to bring up his optimistic facade. “Not really. I don’t think this’ll be any different from Melee.”

 

“Why’s that? It’s just started. Take some time before you decide it’s the worst, Ness.”

 

Ness rolled his eyes. “Says the one who was top tier last time.” He could hear Fox’s voice- a light laugh, tail wagging idly as he took a seat beside the human. 

 

“Not everything is fighting here, you know.” He motioned towards the group. Ness vaguely noted the appearance of a winged boy, with a large, kingly looking duck creature chatting over something 

alcoholic. “Socializing will get you a long way in this place.”

 

“Yeah, says the one with a best friend at their side.” Ness didn’t mean to sound as bitter as he did, but he eventually ended up sounding like it anyway. Fox had Falco to hang out with, Fox had the charisma and charm to appeal to anyone in Melee 

Brawl. Fox had the looks to attract anyone. What did Ness have? A fucking baseball bat.

 

Fox seemed to pause, which Ness didn’t notice. Eventually, a sigh would come from the pilot. “I know you can’t control your feelings, Ness. Changing your mental state is not as easy as ‘just getting better’. I know that. But digging yourself a hole like this? Not even trying to talk to others? It won’t help.” He placed his paw back on the boy’s shoulder.

 

“We all care about you. Try to have some fun?”

 

Ness could feel his emotions wavering. He could feel his bitterness melting away, and he could feel guilt creep up his back like crawling bugs. Disappointment clouded his eyes, and he sighed himself, fiddling with the hat on his head. Fox was right, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Not putting in the effort to change won’t change anything in him.

 

He forced a smile. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll give it a go.”

 

Fox grinned, giving him a thumbs up. “There’s my Ness.” He patted the male’s back, finally standing back up and sauntering over to Falco, as well as a newcomer. Someone who looked just like the two pilots, but more brooding, and much more wolf-like. He never looked up to Fox, but something in his heart told him that he should at least 

to make the other happy. To make himself happy.

 

He made his way creeping into the crowd of fighters, looking around for anyone who looked open enough to talk to. But unfortunately, everyone just seemed in their own little groups. Mario and Luigi around some foul smelling asshole looking character, Link talking to another Link (why), Samus and Pikachu bonding after being away. Everyone was with their own gang almost, leaving Ness out in the middle of nowhere, alone in a party with blaring music and joyful chatter.

 

He hated giving up so easily, but Ness found himself too overwhelmed to continue. He hoped that Fox would at least understand that. Holding his backpack tighter to his chest, he left the grand hall, turning into a pitch black hallway and hoping to god his Melee bedroom was the same as his Brawl one.

 

But as he stepped down the hall, glad that the music was slowly fading into nothing, he swore he could hear something else. Something in the pitch darkness of the hallway. Fuck. Ness quickly brushed it off as his own thoughts, the lilting panic in his chest fading with his own reassurance, continuing on his way, his steps just a tad bit faster and harder. Why was he so scared of a voice in the dark?

 

Though as he moved, he could only hear the voice in the hall louder. Ness wasn’t the smartest, but fuck, he wasn’t the dumbest either. His own excuse for not being panicked proved to be not the greatest, as he soon realized that this voice was 

One hundred percent real, not fake. Ness came to a halt, turning his head back and forth, and he heard the voice hitch.

 

Then, he heard it again. Sniffling. Muffled cries. 

“Hello?” Ness called into the hallway, head tilted towards the source of the noise. He took a few paces forward, unsure of what to do, when he heard the sniffling break into words.

 

The voice was snotty and wavering, obviously broken due to it’s tears. Ness felt a pang of sympathy towards the voice, even though he had no idea who it was. Why were they out here, all by themselves? What was making them cry so much? Pitying thoughts filled his brain, nearly making him spin, and Ness almost immediately put the responsibility of calming his stranger down in his hands. Always the selfless one, he was.

 

“I won’t hurt you, it’s okay.” Ness found himself speaking before he was thinking. He raised his arm outward, hand open and fingers spread. “I’m going to light this place up, okay? I won’t hurt you.” 

 

He ignored the panicked protests from this stranger, feeling that doing this for them would help, and lit up his hand with a simple Thunder. What he saw in front of him made the light around his hand absolutely waver, his eyes widening as thoughts upon thoughts filled his brain.

 

In front of Ness was a boy, looking just like him. He sat huddled against the wall, face flushed red with tears and embarrassment, cheeks streaking with tears and blue eyes panicked and near wild. His legs were pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around them, and he immediately shrunk himself as far as he could into himself when the light was pushed onto him. 

 

Ness felt a wave of sympathy, and before he knew it, he was kneeling in front of the blonde-haired boy. “Woah, woah. What are you doing out here?”

 

The stranger looked away, saying nothing. He only squeezed into a tighter ball than before. Eventually, he did speak. Though it was filled with snot and tears. “Why do you- you care?”

 

“I don’t want to see some kid I don’t know cry right next to a party, that’s why.” Ness spoke, and he moved to sit beside the other, hand going out and light disappearing. They were consumed by darkness once more.

 

The boy’s voice filled the darkness, wavering and melancholy. “I can’t be out there. It reminds me of. Of. It reminds me-” his voice cut off with a tearful sob, quickly going muffled. Ness could practically hear him try to hide in his own body. 

 

“Hey, hey.” Ness slowly, cautiously, placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. He immediately tensed, but before long, slowly relaxed. He patiently waited for the other to stop his cry, his voice eventually coming in through the abyss. 

 

“I miss my brother.”

 

Ness didn’t know what to say. What could he say to him? I’m sorry? Ness knew from experience that it didn’t work. “You feel… alone?” It was something that left him before he truly processed it, even compared to his normal hastiness. It was something that stemmed from his own feelings, his own experiences.

 

He could feel the boy nod. “I feel alone.”

 

Ness could only agree with a soft “It’s okay. Me… Me too.” Silence fell between them. Nothing but the other’s soft sniffles and the background noise of the party nearby. It was something comforting, despite the subject matter of their talk. It was comforting to be close to this mystery boy, this person he’d never met until now. 

 

Before he knew it, he was being pulled into a hug, feeling his shoulder stain with tears and his chest be squeezed by arms. All Ness could do was hold the other close, feeling his shaky breaths rattle into his own, feel his tears soak the fabric of his shirt. All he could do was keep this stranger close to him.

 

Eventually, he pulled away. “I’m sorry about that. I’m just- I’m just a crybaby, is all.”

 

“It’s. Okay.”

 

The stranger wiped his nose, shaking like a leaf in the wind, voice still softly wavering and quivering. “My name’s Lucas. Who- who are you?”

 

“I’m Ness.”

 

“That’s a nice name.” 

 

Another bout of silence. Despite what had all gone down, despite what he had just went through to simply meet someone for the first time, despite how awkward it was- Ness didn’t feel so lonely anymore. Sure, he still felt melancholic and saddened by everything. But… The small boy had a feeling that he wouldn’t need to feel as empty as he did before. He knew Lucas could fill that. Simply just by being there.

 

Ness felt his chest burn with something positive.

 

“..Wanna find a room together and ditch the party?”

 

He could tell Lucas was smiling as he nodded, and the mere thought of seeing him like that made Ness smile too. “That’d be great.”

 

“Let’s go before we’re bombarded by drunk idiots.”

 

Ness felt like everything was going to be okay.


End file.
